Being Grateful is Good for the Soul by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC
We all experience struggles on a regular basis. Life gets hard, and it can be easy to focus on our difficulties. However, even when life is giving us trials, we have many things to be thankful for. Focusing on all the good things in our life can actually help us get through our struggles, too.
Being grateful is a mindset. Each day we choose our focus. We can see the best or the worst in every person we encounter. We can dwell on difficulties or celebrate the wins of the day.
As you go through each day, it’s important to choose to be grateful. As you think about all that you have, you’ll be less likely to complain about what you lack, or about the struggles you’re having. Things can always get worse, and our attitude often shapes the direction of our life.
As you choose gratitude in your life, your perspective changes and your behavior changes, as well. You will be more pleasant, and find less to complain about. This attitude will permeate everything you do, and make you more attractive to others. You’ll likely find that after adopting a more grateful attitude, good things begin to come your way because people want to be around you. They will want to support your business and to feel the energy you give.
As you can imagine, these good things happening will make you even more grateful, and so you’ve begun a beautiful circle of getting even more because you are grateful for that which you have.
An “attitude of gratitude” may not come naturally at first. To begin, make a list of all the things in your life for which you’re grateful. It may take a little while to complete the list, and seeing it on paper is likely to humble you a little. Review this list every day, adding things as you remember them until you have the big things memorized. Continue, however, to periodically review the list to add little things as they happen.
Over time, you will truly train your mind to focus on the good things in life, and the bad things will seem like much less of a burden. This new focus will change your behavior and attitude in so many wonderful ways. With the holiday season just around the corner is a good time to practice.
